Hi, My note: When I first read this matter, I felt as if I was reaing some software program in a language which I did not know - though it was all written in English. But reading it once helps... skimming it would be useful. These activities we performed in our classes - and these readings we had to read before we went to class. After class, we had to write a "reflection journal" -- about what we felt about the class - anything we liked -- as a sort of diary.
In Total we have only 5or6 classes - and 1 class wheer some current teachhers came to discuss their strategies - most likelt they were former graduates of the course and really seemed to making goog useo this knowledge. In 2 session we were making our own teacher-training workshop-presentations. --so total 8 weeks only-one class per week. Umesh ----------------------------------------------- "Stage 1 � Pre-reading During pre-reading, we activate, acknowledge and help students to organize what they bring to text. This is their �given� �. The �given� includes the contents (cultural and language based) students bring to text, their biases (from previous successes or failures with learning about the subject) and relevant background knowledge (gained from daily experience and formal study). By knowing what students bring to their reading, teachers can choose strategies that serve as effective scaffolds between the �given� and the �new.� Such activities can prepare students to read by clarifying unfamiliar vocabulary and concepts, and they can promote students� interest (and thus engagement) by providing them with means to anticipate the text and begin to make personal connections with it. Pre-reading can be accomplished through such activities as brain storm, graphic organizers of students� knowledge(such as concept maps, clusters or words), cloze exercises (during which students attempt to replace important vocabulary or concepts that the teacher has systematicaklly deleted from the text in order to draw attention to them), or development of questions (posed by the teacher or by the students through direted writing or interactive discussion)�. Such questions are typical of many study-skill schemes that teachers commonly use � such as K-W-L (What do I know? What do I want to know? What have I learned?) and SQ3R (survey, question, read, wriote, review). Stage 2- Guided Reading Guided-reading activities engage students in probing the text beyond its literal menaing for deeper understanding. During guided reading, students need the opportunity to develop tentative understanding � to revise prelimnary questions, or predictions; search fro tentative answers; gather, organize, analyze and synthesize evidence and begin to make generalizations or assertions about their new understanding. Guided reading should result in students� being able to assert something about text they are invested in pursuing further. Common guided reading activities include the use of writing (such a response journals or study guides) and collaborative problem-solving activities that engage students in searching for deeper understanding of text than literal meaning�� students� ability to self monitore their reading is critical. Infact, the ability to self- monitor often distinguishes better and poorer readers in the secondary years�. Ask students to reflect on the reading process itself�to keep a �process log.� Stage 3 � Post Reading .... Students need the opportunity to step back and test the validity of their tentative understanding about text��apply and/or argue what they have learned (the integration of their �given� and the �new.�) For example, students might offer belief and doubt about each others� assetions in light of evidence from the text or outside the text. By doing so, students not only help their peers revise and strengthen their arguments, but they do so by reflecting and improving upon their own������� Thus, if we have taken have taken students through the stages of comprehension � through pre-reading, guided and post-reading �then we will have taken students through a process of understanding,� Jacobs (2002). USE � 1. �Most of the strategies that serve the goals of pre-guided and post-reading also double as strategies that are common to comprehension, study skill and vocabulary.� Jacobs (2002). 2. �If we have chosen activities that, while accomplishing the goals of pre-reading, guided-reading, and post-reading have also readied our students to demonstrate what they have come to understand, then we will have also prepared them to demonstrate understanding,� Jacobs (2002). 3. No extra time needed � � Thus, when we embed such strategies in the reading process, we don�t feel as if they are add-on activities that take time away from our institutional purposes. They become effective means to accomplish them,� Jacobs (2002). Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ Assam mailing list [email protected] http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam Mailing list FAQ: http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/assam/assam-faq.html To unsubscribe or change options: http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/options/assam
